Water Resources

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Water is one of seven science mission areas of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Water's mission is to collect and disseminate reliable, impartial, and timely information that is needed to understand the Nation's water resources.

In cooperation with the Wyoming State Engineer, the USGS conducted a study of the water resources of Sweetwater County, Wyoming. This study followed the general plan of previous "County Studies". Surface water and ground water resources were evaluated through a combined approach that analyzed and summarized existing data and, as a consequence of the data analysis, identified key data gaps and...

Major floods in 1996-1997 on the Yellowstone River intensified public debate over the effects of human activities on the Yellowstone River. The Yellowstone River Conservation District Council partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a cumulative-effects study on the Yellowstone. For that study, the USGS calculated streamflow statistics for unregulated (no development) and...

For over three decades, the USGS has maintained a program of research and observation in San Francisco Bay, including regular measurements of water quality along a 145-kilometer transect spanning the length of the entire estuarine system from the South San Francisco Bay to the Sacramento River.

In the operation of the present invention, a compacted porous medium is provided with a supply of the desired liquid and is subjected to centrifugal force until the measurement of the flow rate of liquid through the medium is substantially constant. (Full details provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.)

A method and apparatus for removing selenate from waste water through the use of selenate respiring microorganisms under substantially anoxic conditions is described. The method includes a first zone for removing nitrate by assimilation into biomass. (Full details available at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website for patents ...

A method is provided for enhancing oxidation of methyl bromide during agricultural fumigations of fields using a fumigant containing methyl bromide. The method comprises adding a methylotrophic bacterium to the soil in an amount effective to provide bacterial oxidation of the methyl bromide. (Full details provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.)

A method is provided for the manufacture of mineral power crystals having a uniform mean size. The method includes forming a solution which is highly supersaturated with respect to the crystals. (Full details provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.)

A permeable barrier for decontaminating groundwater having two distinct components for increasing contaminant removal. Preferably, the barrier material is a mixture or distinct layers of bone-char phosphate material and iron oxide pellets. (Full details provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.)

A self-contained, transportable system for conducting any of hydrologic tests or water sampling techniques without the need for retooling or readjusting the system. (Full details provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.)

A groundwater decontamination system includes a decontamination unit adapted to be lowered down through a non-pumping well into an aquifer containing contaminated water. (Full details provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.)

Methyl halide contaminants are oxidized in a reaction chamber containing a methylotrophic bacterium through direct oxidation of the methyl halide contaminant. (Full details provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.)

A matrix for water decontamination has an amended sorbant cellulose substrate with an iron (ferric) oxyhydroxide component and a component to sorb dissolved organic compounds retained by the cellulose substrate. (Full details provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.)

The USGS collects, analyzes, and distributes data on a wide variety of water-related issues and resources. Much of our data is publicly available through the National Water Information System (NWIS), but additional datasets and analytical tools are also available.

A steady-state, two-dimensional, heat transport model was created using SUTRA,
version 2.2, modified to allow for spatially-variable thermal properties and density
and viscosity variation with temperature. The model includes physical and hydrologic
characteristics of the Bemidji Research Site, a crude-oil contaminated research site,
along with previous-published...

This dataset provides model specifications used to estimate metabolism. The format is a table with 1 row per model (1 tab-delimited file, compressed into zip file). The specific format of this configuration file is arbitrary and specific to this analysis, and the format need not be replicated to use streamMetabolizer; however, this tabular format is useful because it allows for the reading by...

Management of petroleum-impacted waters by monitored natural attenuation (MNA) requires an understanding of the toxicology of both the original compounds released as well as the transformation products formed during natural breakdown. Here, we report data from a groundwater plume consisting of a mixture of crude oil compounds and transformation products resulting from a crude-oil release in...

This study focuses on providing a broad-scale assessment of composition of water chemistry in urban stormwater runoff. The stormwater runoff is a source of recharge to groundwater by Green Infrastructure (GI) practices or it may become a source of recharge to groundwater to reduce stormwater volumes to surface waters or augment groundwater supply. The chemical composition of the stormwater...

Two identical Radar Stage Sensors from Forest Technology Systems, were evaluated to determine if they are suitable for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologic data collection. The sensors were evaluated in laboratory conditions to evaluate the distance accuracy of the sensor over the manufacturer&#8217;s specified operating temperatures and distance to water ranges. Laboratory results...

A vertical profile of downwelling spectral irradiance at different depths within the water column was measured on the Deschutes River near Bend, OR, July 28, 2016, to support research on remote sensing of river discharge. Downwelling spectral irradiance data were collected using an Analytical Spectral Devices FieldSpec3 spectroradiometer operated in irradiance mode and deployed from a...

This Data Release makes available measurements of phytoplankton species composition, abundance and cell size made on samples collected in San Francisco Bay (CA) from January 2014 through December 2016. Whole water phytoplankton samples were collected at least monthly at fixed sampling stations along a 145-km transect where the variability of salinity, temperature, turbidity and nutrient...

A three-dimensional groundwater flow model, MODFLOW-2005 with the SWI2 module, was developed to
provide a better understanding of the geohydrology of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system in the vicinity
of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey. The model was used to evaluate the potential
effects of three sea-level rise scenarios on the aquifer system. The...

Two identical Radar Stage Sensors from Forest Technology Systems, were evaluated to determine if they are suitable for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologic data collection. The sensors were evaluated in laboratory conditions to evaluate the distance accuracy of the sensor over the manufacturer&#8217;s specified operating temperatures and distance to water ranges. Laboratory results...

Heat is used as a tracer for a variety of physical hydrogeological process. Several types of instruments are used to measure the temperature of surface water and saturated sediments. In the Quashnet River we have been using methods that include: infrared, individual logging thermistors, and fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing. The latter type of data (FO_DTS) are described and...

Hurricane Florence made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, shortly after dawn on September 14, 2018. Once over land, the forward motion of the hurricane slowed to about 2 to 3 miles per hour. Over the next several days, the hurricane delivered historic amounts of rainfall across North and South Carolina,...

Data collected from April 2014 through September 2016 were used to assess geomorphic characteristics and geomorphic changes over time in a selected reach of Tenmile Creek, a small rural watershed near Clarksburg, Maryland. Longitudinal profiles of the channel bed, water surface, and bank features were developed from field surveys. Changes in cross...

Study RegionThis study region encompasses the Transboundary San Pedro and Santa Cruz aquifers which are shared between the states of Sonora (Mexico) and Arizona (US). Special regional considerations include a semi-arid climate, basin-fill aquifers with predominantly montane recharge areas, economic drivers in the mining, trade, and military...

A research priority can be defined as a knowledge gap that, if resolved, identifies the optimal course of conservation action. We (a group of geographically distributed and multidisciplinary research scientists) used tools from nominal group theory and decision analysis to collaboratively identify and prioritize information...

In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, collected data on isotopes, age dating, and geochemistry including aqueous uranium concentrations of samples from 20 locations in the vicinity of the Homestake Mining Company Superfund site near Milan, New Mexico. The 20 sampled locations include 19...

The Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, operated by the U.S. Navy and located in the Hālawa area, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, includes 20 underground storage tanks that can hold a total of 250 million gallons of fuel. In January 2014, the U.S. Navy notified the Hawaiʻi Department of Health and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of release of an estimated...

In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), studied floods in the historic record to produce a library of flood-inundation maps for the South Platte River at Fort Morgan, Colorado. Digital flood-inundation maps for a 4.5-mile (7.2-kilometers) reach of the South Platte River at Fort...

Contaminants diffusing from fractures into the immobile porosity of the rock matrix are subject to prolonged residence times. Organic contaminants can adsorb onto organic carbonaceous materials in the matrix extending contaminant retention. An investigation of spatial variability of the fraction of organic carbon...

As part of a collaborative study designed to better understand water-quality conditions in the Sacramento River, surface-water samples were collected from the lower Sacramento River and five of its tributaries and then analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey for a suite of 162 current-use pesticides and pesticide degradates. Samples were collected...

In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, drilled and constructed borehole TAN-2312 for stratigraphic framework analyses and long-term groundwater monitoring of the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory in southeast Idaho. The location of borehole TAN-2312 was selected...

The Edwards and Trinity aquifers are classified as major aquifers by the Texas Water Development Board and are major sources of water in south-central Texas, where Hays County is located. Detailed maps and descriptions of the geologic framework and hydrostratigraphic units (HSUs) of these karstic aquifers in Hays County are needed for water...

Lead mining first began in the Big River watershed during the 1700s. Lead was the primary metal mined throughout most of the 1700s and early 1800s and it continued to be mined until the mid-1900s. Barite mining began in the middle part of the watershed in the mid- to late 1800s. Although considerable attention has been given to concentrations of...

The USGS produces many types of multimedia products. Use the links below to browse our offerings of photograph galleries, podcasts and sound files, videos, aerial photos, and posters related to water. The USGS Newsroom has a Web page that highlights the main collection of multimedia products.

Research Hydrologist Paul Hsieh collects seismic data during a groundwater study at Pinnacles National Park in California. The red seismometer on the ground measures ambient seismic noise, which includes microtremors induced by wind, ocean waves, and human activity. The seismic data collected can be used to estimate unconsolidated sediment thickness, map the bedrock

In this photo, a small unoccupied aicraft (sUAS) or drone is being prepared to collect thermal infrared data to assess groundwater discharge into Las Vegas Wash, in Clark County, Nevada. The umbrella provides shade to keep the equipment from getting too hot.

This study is using thermal infrared imaging to aid in location and evaluation of areas of gains and

Each one these blue dots represents a site where a storm-tide sensor bracket has been installed for the Gulf of Mexico pre-defined network. There are currently 85 brackets in Florida, 6 in Alabama, 3 in Mississippi, 18 in Louisiana and 26 in Texas, for a total of 138 bracketed sites. (Not all brackets will be used in all storms.)

The USGS creates a Flood Event Viewer for major flooding incidents, as a one-stop, interactive information source. On that website, viewers can click on each red dot (storm-tide sensor) to see details about it. The Flood Event Viewer for Hurricane Michael is at https://stn.wim.usgs.gov/FEV/#Michael2018

BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — From Sept. 24 through 29, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey will conduct dye tracer and aerial mapping studies on northern Idaho’s Kootenai River. Data from the studies will support Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Kootenai Tribe of Idaho fisheries and river restoration projects.

When a major storm is on the horizon, the USGS uses its water monitoring, coastal change, mapping, and modeling expertise to help prepare for, respond to, and recover from hurricanes and tropical storms.

Both precipitation and groundwater withdrawals, among other factors, influence lake-water levels in the northeast Twin Cities metropolitan area, and the extent of these changes vary among lakes, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

The U.S. Geological Survey has deployed storm-tide sensors, forecast what coastal change to expect, and is ready to measure the extent of flooding likely to result from this powerful storm, Hurricane Harvey. Click HERE for more information.